About The Cover

ONLINE COVER More Than Skin Deep. Noninvasive skin tape stripping of healthy-looking skin (pictured) is being used to elucidate the biological underpinnings of food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis (Leung et al.). In this study, half of a cohort of children with atopic dermatitis, a condition characterized by itchy red patches of skin, also suffered from food allergy. The investigators found striking differences among nonlesional atopic dermatitis skin samples depending on food allergy status. Even normal-appearing skin in children with atopic dermatitis and food allergy may harbor a defective epithelial barrier, possibly allowing the entry of and sensitization to food allergens. [CREDIT: VOLODYMYRV/ISTOCKPHOTO]